History

October 27, 2011

Tonight PBS will air the documentary “Lives Worth Living” about disability rights champion Fred Fay. This is TV worth watching. In an era when so much TV programming features people who are famous for being famous, we have a rare chance to learn about someone who moved mountains.

Who was Fred Fay? He was an architect of the disability rights movement. He was a founder of the Justice for All web network. He was an organizer, an innovator, and an inventor. Working from a motorized bed he designed with three computer screens in reach, Fred Fay connected people to ideas and to each other. Over the course of decades, he knocked down barriers for people with disabilities and helped change our landscape to be more accessible.

Watch “Lives Worth Living” with your friends, family, congregation, classmates, or neighbors. Launch a conversation-- what makes our lives worth living, and what would it take to fulfill our enormous potential as Fred did? What can we invent? Whom can we touch with our own gifts?

June 23, 2011

The memories of living in institutional settings since the age of 13 will always be with Lois Curtis even though her life today is beyond what she ever could have imagined when she made the first of many brave phone calls to my office at the Atlanta Legal Aid Society saying, “I want to get out!” The journey (and struggle) from that day includes an historic Supreme Court decision, a home of her own and a successful career as an artist. And now, a meeting with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office as we observe the 12th anniversary of the Olmstead decision.

The Olmstead story began long before the Supreme Court decision. Lois and another plaintiff, Elaine Wilson (who passed away in 2004), were in a state psychiatric hospital in Georgia. They filed suit in 1995 seeking disability services in the community...

...And, as we all now know, the U.S. Supreme Court eventually held that the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act, thus taking a giant step forward for the millions of people with disabilities across the country.

Lois’ story did not end after that landmark Supreme Court decision. In fact, that decision launched a new journey. After living in staffed residential homes since her release from the institution, Lois now rents a beautiful home in the Stone Mountain area of Georgia...

June 22, 2011

On Anniversary of Olmstead, Obama Administration Recommits to Assist Americans with Disabilities

On June 22, 1999, the Supreme Court ruled in Olmstead v. L.C. that, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities was a form of unlawful discrimination. Since taking office, the Obama Administration has taken many steps to uphold both the letter and the spirit of the ADA.

“The landmark Olmstead case affirmed the rights of Americans with disabilities to live independently,” said President Obama. “On this anniversary, let’s recommit ourselves to building on the promise of Olmstead by working to end all forms of discrimination, and uphold the rights of Americans with disabilities and all Americans.”

Since the Olmstead ruling, much progress has been made. Many individuals have successfully transitioned to community settings, but waiting lists for community services have grown considerably and many individuals who would like to receive community services are not able to obtain them...

June 17, 2011

June 22 is a historic day for the disability community. Not only does it mark the anniversary of the 1999 Supreme Court Olmstead decision which affirmed the right of people with disabilities to live in their homes and communities, but it also marks the anniversary of the death of Justin Dart, Jr. who is widely recognized as "the father of the Americans with Disabilities Act," "the godfather of the disability rights movement," and co-founder of Justice for All.

In a time when the rights of many people with disabilities are in peril, it is important to remember the strength of our collective roots, acknowledge our current allies and rededicate ourselves to the work ahead.

C-SPAN has recently posted the video of his memorial service in their video library. I encourage advocates, young and old, to spend time watching, listening and learning about Justin's life and vision of a "revolution of empowerment." Justin taught us: "Get involved in politics and advocacy as if your lives depended on it. They do, and the lives of our grandchildren. You can be a soldier of justice. You can be a revolution of one. The dedicated, total effort of a single individual to struggle for the human dream is a monumental, irreversible victory for the person and for humanity. That is real happiness. That is the good life."

As we face major reductions in services at the national, state and local levels, as Congress considers deep cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, food stamp programs, TANF and Social Security, these words are as applicable today as they ever were.

May 31, 2011

How the Army Denied Tens of Thousands of Soldiers PTSD Care and Benefits

For eighteen years the Army used the wrong standard to determine the degree of disability and the amount of benefits due to Soldiers with mental health conditions, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The standard the Army used, at first, was at least recognizable as related to the correct standard. However, the correct standard was updated in 1996 and for 12 years afterwords the Army used a completely erroneous standard to deny benefits to those who need it most- disabled Warriors with injuries so severe they could not continue to serve. The result was denial of health care and compensation to the most vulnerable. Though there have been clear strides to address the problems, as late as this month the US government has defended its use of the wrong standard in court. And nothing has been done to address the tens of thousands of Soldiers who were improperly rated. In a time with record high suicides by Soldiers, this cannot stand...

December 24, 2010

In the second of her series to mark disability history month, Victoria Brignell investigates America's past enthusiasm for eugenics and the profound suffering this inflicted on disabled people.

In the decades following the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species, a craze for eugenics spread not only through Britain but through America as well. Overbreeding by the poor and disabled threatened the quality of the human race, American campaigners warned. Drastic measures must be taken to avert a future catastrophe for humanity.

Amid popular fears about the decline of the national stock, one of the main drives behind the formation of American immigration policy at the end of the 19th century was the desire to exclude disabled people. The first major federal immigration law, the Act of 1882, prohibited entry to any 'lunatic, idiot, or any person unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge.'...

...In 1937, a Gallup poll in the USA found that 45 per cent of supported euthanasia for "defective infants". A year later, in a speech at Harvard, WG Lennox argued that preserving disabled lives placed a strain on society and urged doctors to recognize "the privilege of death for the congenitally mindless and for the incurable sick". An article published in the journal of the American Psychiatric Association in 1942 called for the killing of all "retarded" children over five years old...

For Immediate Release: December 15, 2010Press Office: 202-225-2095Miller’s legislation recognizing disability advocate Ed Roberts passes House Legislation expresses support of national Ed Roberts Day in honor of the Bay Area advocateWASHINGTON- Disability rights advocate Ed Roberts, renowned in the Bay Area, nationally and internationally, was honored by Congress today, thirty-three years after he and Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) both advocated for civil rights for people with disabilities at protests in San Francisco. Miller introduced H Res 1759 to declare the support of the House of Representatives of a national “Ed Roberts Day.” The bill passed the House today by a vote of 386 to 8. “Ed’s lifetime of advocacy was critical in the struggle for civil rights for people with disabilities,” Miller said after the resolution passed the House. “Ed’s commitment remains a tremendous inspiration and I’m honored to sponsor this resolution recognizing his work.“Having known Ed and being able to call him a friend was an honor and a gift for me - as was working with him back in 1977 at the protests in San Francisco,” Miller continued, referring to the 1977 disabled rights protest, and the subsequent Congressional meetings, both held at the Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) building in San Francisco. In addition to supporting the establishment of Ed Roberts Day, Miller’s legislation acknowledges the accomplishments Roberts made in helping reduce barriers, increase access and improve lives for persons with disabilities. Roberts, who passed away in 1995, was a long time disability rights advocate and California resident. After contracting polio as a teenager, Roberts relied on a respirator to breathe. He became the first student with significant disabilities to attend UC Berkeley, where he began advocacy efforts and helped found the campus’ Physically Disabled Students Program. In 1975, Roberts was named the Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation and played an important role in the sit-in at the HEW building in San Francisco. Protesters with disabilities had staged the sit-in to call for the implementation of new regulations which would establish certain rights for people with disabilities. Roberts and other advocates worked with Miller and then-Representative Phillip Burton to hold ad hoc Congressional hearings in the building to discuss the issue at hand – the implementation of a federal regulation that prohibited exclusion or discrimination in a federal program based solely on a handicap. Twenty years later, Miller’s and Roberts’ actions were noted in a compiled retrospective of the protests:

On April 15, 1977, Congressmen George Miller and Phillip Burton held an ad hoc meeting of the House Education and Labor Committee to take testimony from disability activists and HEW official Gene Eiderberg who floated a "separate but equal" trial balloon and 18 issues that would be reviewed before passage could occur. Ed Roberts, Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation, said that Califano's proposed changes were "a blueprint for segregation." Representative Miller said that as far as he was concerned "the goddamn thing is not negotiable."Roberts later co-founded and became the President of the World Institute on Disability.The full text of H Res 1759 is here. The resolution was cosponsored by Representatives Sam Farr, Rush Holt, Barbara Lee and James Langevin

October 30, 2010

It's a win-win in PA Congressional District 13 for Community Choice; so what position have YOUR candidates taken on the Community Choice Act?

In Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District, it looks like BOTH the Democratic and Republican candidates would support the Community Choice Act.

Dee Adcock (Republican): This candidate agreed to vote in support of the Community Choice Act. Allyson Schwartz (Democratic): This candidate has not responded to the survey request, but is a co-sponsor of the Community Choice Act in the 111th Congress.

Of course, Dee Adcock could be pushed to co-sponsor and Allyson Schwartz could be pushed to respond, but it looks like whoever wins THIS race goes, there will be support for CCA in this district!Great work from the Pennsylvania folks!

So, what have YOUR candidates said about eliminating the institutional bias and co-sponsoring the Community Choice Act?Are they willing to pledge their support for eliminating the institutional bias?

After you see what they’ve said, you can send them an email asking them to sign the Pledge form (www.c4ci.org/Pledge.pdf) and support the Community Choice Act.The election is about a week away, but we have an opportunity to push the candidates to pledge to support our cause when they need our vote.

This Halloween weekend, NPR has posted a piece by commentator, Ben Mattlin, where he describes feeling targeted as a person with difference by the festivities. In conversations, I’ve had with friends and colleagues with disabilities, the idea has been put forward that Halloween is a time where difference is accepted and even celebrated. What is your experience? Are disabilities perceived differently around Halloween? If so, how?

Read or listen to Ben Mattlin’s story “On Halloween, Celebrating Differences Of All Types” and post your thoughts below.

From NPR (10.28.10):

On Halloween, Celebrating Differences Of All Types

Commentator Ben Mattlin never looks forward to Halloween. He says having a highly visible disability can make the holiday feel odd and unsettling.

I never thought about a connection between disabilities and Halloween until I learned of the once-common fear of deformities — the limping, hunchbacked, hook-handed or one-eyed monsters of ancient fairy tales and old horror movies. Even the word "creepy" comes from the same word as the oldest term for folks like me, the politically incorrect "cripple."…

…Yet as an adult, I began to feel uneasy about the creepy exhibitionism of Halloween, the way it encourages staring at all things weird. I can't help wondering if Halloween doesn't promote ridiculing differences — even a kind of conformity. Yes, I know, for most people Halloween is an escape from conformity, but for those of us who don't quite fit the norm, that's nothing special. In fact, demonstrating that you're not exactly what people expect is pretty much what disabled folks do every day…

October 23, 2010

Celebrating 35 Years of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

In 1975, the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) guaranteed access to a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment to every child with a disability. Subsequent amendments, as reflected in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), have led to an increased emphasis on access to the general education curriculum, the provision of services for young children from birth to five, transition planning and accountability for the achievement of students with disabilities.

During these 35 years, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has supported efforts that are making a difference for millions of children with disabilities, as well as their non-disabled friends and classmates. Many of the educational practices employed by our nation's best teachers are the direct result of federal investments in rigorous educational research, training and technical assistance. Today, due largely to the provision of IDEA-supported programs and services, nearly 6.6 million infants, toddlers, children and youths with disabilities are achieving at levels that would not have been imagined in previous decades.

How has IDEA made a difference to you?

This year, OSERS is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). OSERS would like to hear from the great number of people who have been positively impacted by this legislation: individuals with disabilities, students, teachers, principals, researchers, parents, teacher trainers and other IDEA stakeholders. Please share your art work, photography, poetry and written stories showcasing how IDEA has positively impacted you for possible use during an event celebrating the 35th anniversary of IDEA. You may submit your documents and personal stories on theIDEA 35th Anniversary Webpagebefore November 8th.

Frankie Mastrangelo is the moderator for both the Justice For All (JFA) national email listerv as well as for the JFActivist blog. She is also an organizer for the American Association of People with Disabilities in Washington, D.C.